Here's What's Next in the Friday the 13th Legal Battle

Larry Zerner breaks down what has to happen next for this legal matter to be resolved.

Our favorite Friday the 13th actor turned copyright, trademark, and entertainment lawyer Larry Zerner is back with another edition of "what happens next in the legal battle over the rights to the franchise?" Earlier this month, an initial ruling was made in the matter of Horror Inc v Victor Miller in a dispute over the Copyright Act with respect to the rights to the original film. That initial ruling sided with Miller, making a settlement or appeal all the more likely to be the next step in resolving this matter.

We now have a deadline of sorts in place for when we will know where this lawsuit goes next. Zerner took to Twitter, as he usually so helpfully does to provide information and clarification on this case, and mentioned that the deadline for Sean Cunningham of Horror Inc to file a Notice of Appeal is very appropriately on October 31st. If this notice is filed, the case goes on for the time being but there exists the possibility of a settlement between the parties before then.

If nothing is filed by that date, the legal matter will have been settled, which we would find out shortly after that happens. Here is the breakdown on where this case stands, courtesy of Zerner.

For those of you wondering about what's next in the #FridayThe13th lawsuit (Horror v. Miller), Sean has until October 31 (irony alert) to file a Notice of Appeal. If no Notice is filed, then they made a deal. If not, the fight continues (for now).

This appeal will likely be filed unless the two parties cut a deal to end this dispute, which is an option that might be in doubt for now, according to comments about Friday the 13th: The Game from Gun Media's Wes Keltner, who mentioned that Miller has so far shown no interest in talking over a settlement with Horror Inc, instead letting the process play out to keep a grasp on the leverage granted to him by the initial ruling.

We expect that they will have to agree to some kind of terms at the end of this dispute regardless of which route it takes, but the main factors hanging in the balance here are the length of time this matter will take to conclude as well as any numbers pertaining to the financial side of this. Given the current mainstream success of the horror genre, it would appear that ending this sooner rather than later would be in everyone's best interest should either Miller or Cunningham desire to cash in on it.

As per usual, we will keep you updated of all of the latest developments here on Dead Entertainment.

About the Author

Thanks to his friends and family, Chris grew up surrounded by plenty of horror movies and video games. From self-taught web design as a teenager to a formal education in computer science, he has always had a passion for web technologies and has channeled all of those interests into building this website platform. Chris opted to dive straight into horror with this project and is joined by some of those very same influential friends and family here on the staff. When not programming or gaming, you can find him heading to the midwest to cheer on his favorite football team, the Green Bay Packers. Go Pack Go!